Ask a Shiter

[wuvvum]

Does anyone know what PCD Talbot Solara wheels are?  I need to take mine off to get new tyres fitted, and I want to try and find something I can put on the car to keep it off the ground in the meantime. 

[M'coli]

Should be 4 1/4" PCD, same as Hillman/Ford stuff IIRC.

[rml2345]

Speaking of headlights. Are squinty lamps an automatic MoT fail? One is "TOO FAR RIGHT" (like me) and the other is "OFF SCALE". (also like me, when Chelsea won the UCL)

 

Also - a foglight (OE, separate in lower bumper) with a bust lens (hole in it). MoT fail?

 

Thx.

 

I think mega squinty headlights are a fail but front fogs/spots are non testable. Not sure if they'll fail it for being sharp though. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

solara/alpine/horizon wheels are 4x100 (simca based)

[bub2006]

This is for the rover lovers. Been looking at rover 800's for a while now but withheld temptation. One thing i have noticed though,the early mk1 high spec seems to have a ford Sierra style car picture on centre console and a trip computer. Did the facelifts ever get a trip computer?

[saucedoctor]

Thanks RML, duly noted.

 

Interestingly, the VAGSHITE I picked up at auction last week was very Russell Howard (as above), but still passed the MOT on Saturday. It even said FAIL against the Headlight alignment section, but they passed the car anyway. I was just wondering. Matters not, it's provisionally sold.

 

The busted fog is on a C Max, but I've since found out that a new one is only £21 anyway.

 

Thanks again.

[mercedade]

This is for the rover lovers. Been looking at rover 800's for a while now but withheld temptation. One thing i have noticed though,the early mk1 high spec seems to have a ford Sierra style car picture on centre console and a trip computer. Did the facelifts ever get a trip computer?

No trip computer on the Mk2/facelifts sadly, nor a "your door is open, look here's a picture' box.

 

Shame - I loved the fact that when you pressed the brake pedal, the computer told you. As if, at the time you were pressing the brakes, you didn't need to be looking at whatever obstacle you might be, you know, braking for.

[spike60]

Thanks RML, duly noted.

 

Interestingly, the VAGSHITE I picked up at auction last week was very Russell Howard (as above), but still passed the MOT on Saturday. It even said FAIL against the Headlight alignment section, but they passed the car anyway. I was just wondering. Matters not, it's provisionally sold.

 

The busted fog is on a C Max, but I've since found out that a new one is only £21 anyway.

 

Thanks again.

On a lot of VAG stuff it's the headlight electric beam adjuster that comes off the reflector, I just did my Polio. Bits are £3 a side plus £3 post from Poland.

[bub2006]

Thanks for clearing that up mercedade. Thought it was peculiar that a later model has less than the early cars. Mind you i own a 53 plate Vectra and they had less things fitted as the years went on.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Anyone know what Ford this radiator is off? No markings on the road but the plastic is dated Ford made in 85. I was given it years ago as a fiesta spare, never checked it until today and it's miles off

 

[chaseracer]

Halfords Advanced tools - any good?  Half price at the mo...

[drum]

Mitsubishi tree hugger advert claiming road tax will be a thing of the past. If everyone buys an eco car, where's the money for fixing pot holes coming from?

[saucedoctor]

I think we're moving towards it going onto fuel in the next few years instead.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

If you had a car which got 40mpg and was driven 12k miles a year you'd need to put about 20p a litre onto fuel to recoup the lost £280 a year in road tax.

 

Doing so would increase the cost of... Everything.

 

Everything that's sold travels by road to reach it's point of sale. The only retail outlet that will e unaffected is the farm shop (shit for anyone who lives in town or wants to eat bananas).

 

Various professionals would have to increase their fees including (but not limited to) estate agents, surveyors, lift engineers, IT support people, painters, plumbers, locksmiths, breakdown agencies etc.

 

Everyone would be poorer.

 

And all because the government decided to incentivise us into smaller cars...

 

 

I do about 80,000 miles a year and I'm very lucky if my car does 30 mpg.

I'd be signing on the next day,if this ever happens.

[Lacquer Peel]

INDEPENDENCE NOW.

[willswitchengage]

Mitsubishi tree hugger advert claiming road tax will be a thing of the past. If everyone buys an eco car, where's the money for fixing pot holes coming from?

There was a Mitsubishi advert at the train station earlier alleging that its new outlander can do 148mpg. Needless to say I ROFLed but then facepalmed as this 30mpg car will benefit from free road tax and congestion charge.

 

My personal opinion is that road tax should be replaced with a higher fuel duty equated to raise the same funding for George Osborne. I did the maths once - iirc it'd be about an 8p increase per litre. It is, however, more fair as the more miles you drive, the less economically you drive, the greater mass you carry all increase your fuel consumption and therefore pollution, road wear etc. It'd be a genuine incentive for people to think more as road tax would no longer be a sunk cost. Nb most roads are maintained by local authorities and not the Government anyway.

[willswitchengage]

I know, and so what? I'm just advocating a fairer system, in my opinion the fairest way of road pricing. HGVs cause the greatest amount of road damage and pollution, but their tax rate is not proportionately higher than a private car. Conversely, my motorbike pays more tax than most cars on sale despite weighing less than 200kg and doing over 70mpg. The economy would readjust anyway, but people are scared of change.

[willswitchengage]

And no-one buys DVDs anymore anyway.

 

Isohunt.com

Filestube.com

Youjizz.com

[Pillock]

Mitsubishi tree hugger advert claiming road tax will be a thing of the past. If everyone buys an eco car, where's the money for fixing pot holes coming from?

I don't think pot hole money has come from your annual purchase of a little round bit of paper for decades. Hence the change from "road tax" to "vehicle excise duty" or whatever.

 

wikipedia suggests that it hasn't been ringfenced for road repairs since 1937!

[Gerald]

Have wabbits got long tongues?

[catsinthewelder]

Is this question because of something in Will's links?

[Gerald]

No, its because I lanced an abccess on Stew's cheek yesterday... mmm... Primula squeezy cheez... cleaned it out and sprayed teramycin (purple) spray around it.

 

This morning, his cheek is clean and Pie hasn't got a purple face... it'd be like me being able to lick my earlobe - I know I can't, I tried it in Asda the other week. I keep trying to lick my elbow when I get dragged around the supermarket but I haven't perfected it yet...

[drum]

I need to beef up the rear suspension on the A4 for caravan towing. At over 200,000 miles it has a saggy arse. Anyone tried these spring assistors?

http://mad-suspension.co.uk

[philibusmo]

I have 165/70/13 tyres on the Lancia at the moment and am considering changing the wheels to 14". What size of 14" tyres will give me the same rolling radius so I don't send the speedo reading completely out?

[mouseflakes]

Try this...

 

http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator

 

or this

 

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

 

I struggled to find any 14 inch that exactly matched using these though - soz!

[Pillock]

Your speedo will already be a little fast most likely so you can go a few percent bigger without too much bother.

[chaseracer]

I have 165/70/13 tyres on the Lancia at the moment and am considering changing the wheels to 14". What size of 14" tyres will give me the same rolling radius so I don't send the speedo reading completely out?

 

165/65x14 would be your best bet, according to http://www.brspecialtuning.co.uk/Tyre%20size%20calculator.htm

[M'coli]

165/60r14 and 185/55r14 are the same rolling radius as 165/70r13; my Imp wears 165/70r13s on the front and 185/55r14s on the back.  Delta alloys are a similar design to the ones on the Y10, and 185/55s are a common Saxo VTS/VTR size and so should be plentifull on the part-worn market.

[Asimo]

Have wabbits got long tongues?

Don't they wash by licking the back of their paws and then rubbing their face / ears etc with the licked paw?

[The Moog]

My gf is having hassle parking the saab convertible due to limited vision and her not knowing where front/back is. I have fitted rear parking sensor before which worked but is there similar for the front without being mega money.

 

Saw some on ebay but they are £50 plus for a set.

 

Any more autoshitey suggestions?